John Kilpatrick Turnpike
Route information | |
---|---|
Maintained by OTA | |
Length | 29.4 mi (47.3 km) |
Existed | September 1, 1991–present |
Component highways |
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Major junctions | |
Oklahoma City | |
Clockwise end | I-35 / I-44 / Turner Turnpike in Oklahoma City |
Location | |
Country | United States |
State | Oklahoma |
Counties | Canadian, Oklahoma |
Highway system | |
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The John Kilpatrick Turnpike, soon to be signed as Interstate 344 (I-344), is a controlled-access toll road in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The turnpike forms a partial beltway that runs from State Highway 152 (SH-152) to an interchange with Interstate 35 (I-35) and I-44. At the eastern terminus, traffic continuing east merges with I-44 traffic, forming the Turner Turnpike. The Kilpatrick Turnpike is 29.4 miles (47.3 km) long.
The turnpike is named after John Kilpatrick who was the chairman of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority in the early 1990s.
Route description
The Kilpatrick Turnpike's entire route lies within the city limits of Oklahoma City. There are no exit numbers assigned to any of the turnpike's interchanges.[1]
The Kilpatrick Turnpike begins at an interchange with State Highway 152 (SH-152) just west of Council Road in southwestern Oklahoma City. The turnpike heads generally north and west from this interchange, with exits to Morgan Road, Sara Road/SW 29th Street, and a partial interchange with SW 15th street, with traffic exiting from southbound and entering northbound. From there, it angles northeast to a full interchange with I-40/US-270. Another partial interchange is located at N.W. 10th Street, with ramps allowing drivers to join the northbound turnpike and exit the southbound turnpike. The turnpike continues north, passing just east of the Yukon city limits, before making an S-curve to the east, running west of Lake Overholser. The turnpike's first full interchange is with State Highway 66 (SH-66), which runs along N.W. 39th Expressway. North of this interchange, the Kilpatrick Turnpike crosses the North Canadian River. The next interchange is with Wilshire Boulevard. Immediately north of Wilshire Boulevard is the first barrier toll plaza. The highway's next interchange is with SH-3, also known as the Northwest Expressway. The turnpike curves to the east north of here, entering Oklahoma County.[1]
East of the county line, the Kilpatrick Turnpike follows the route of Memorial Road; Memorial splits into a pair of one-way
Law enforcement along the John Kilpatrick Turnpike is provided by Oklahoma Highway Patrol Troop YE, a special troop assigned to the turnpike.[3]
History
In 1987, the Oklahoma Legislature authorized construction of the first phase of the turnpike, between I-35 and Lake Hefner Parkway. It was completed in 1991. In 2001, an extension of the turnpike to I-40 was completed.[4]
On October 29, 2015, Governor Mary Fallin announced that the Kilpatrick Turnpike would be extended south to end at SH-152 near Will Rogers World Airport as part of Driving Forward, a $892 million turnpike package. The project began on January 20, 2018.[5] The westbound direction of the extension was opened January 9, 2020.[6] The eastbound direction was opened on the following dates: January 28 from I-40 to Morgan Road, February 4 from Morgan to SH-152 westbound, and February 14 to SH-152 eastbound.[7]
In February 2021, the OTA announced that all of the turnpikes will be going all-electronic tolling within the next five years, starting with the Kilpatrick Turnpike. This change (known as PlatePay) began on the Kilpatrick in July 2021.[8]
On August 2, 2021, the Oklahoma Transportation Commission approved the designation of the John Kilpatrick Turnpike as part of an extension of
Future
In Fall 2023, the AASHTO approved for the John Kilpatrick Turnpike to be designated as Interstate 344 (I-344).[10] In March 2024, the OTA announced that it would update signage for the turnpike over the next two months. The current turnpike logo would be removed and replaced with I-344 shields along with the yellow "TOLL" banner. I-240 will not be part of the turnpike; it will instead connect to I-344 via a short extension along Airport Road.[11]
Tolls
As of 25 July 2021[update], it costs $6.65 with PlatePay ($3.20 with Pikepass) to drive the entire length of the turnpike.[12]
Exit list
The entire route is in
County | mi[2] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oklahoma | 0.000 | 0.000 | SH-152 / I-240 / SW 59th Street | Counterclockwise terminus;[13] highway continues east toll-free as SH-152/Future I-240 (Airport Road) | |
Council Road | Westbound entrance only | ||||
Canadian | 0.89 | 1.43 | Toll plaza | ||
1.70 | 2.74 | Morgan Road | |||
3.60 | 5.79 | SW 29th Street | Northbound exit and Southbound entrance | ||
3.80 | 6.12 | Sara Road | Northbound entrance and Southbound exit | ||
5.00 | 8.05 | SW 15th Street | Southbound exit and northbound entrance[13] | ||
5.90 | 9.50 | I-40 east exit 138B, west exit 139A[13] | |||
7.10 | 11.43 | NW 10th Street | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
9.90 | 15.93 | SH-66 – Bethany, Yukon | |||
12.50 | 20.12 | Wilshire Boulevard | |||
13.12 | 21.11 | Toll plaza | |||
14.50 | 23.34 | SH-3 / Morgan Road / Hefner Road | |||
Canadian–Oklahoma county line | 16.40 | 26.39 | County Line Road | Future interchange | |
Oklahoma | 17.40 | 28.00 | Council Road | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |
18.80 | 30.26 | Rockwell Avenue | |||
19.80 | 31.87 | MacArthur Boulevard | |||
20.80 | 33.47 | Meridian Avenue | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||
21.80 | 35.08 | Lake Hefner Parkway) to I-44 | Signed as one single exit eastbound | ||
SH-74 north (Portland Avenue) | |||||
22.80 | 36.69 | May Avenue | |||
23.80 | 38.30 | Penn Avenue | Full name "Pennsylvania" | ||
24.80 | 39.91 | Western Avenue | |||
25.64 | 41.26 | Toll plaza | |||
26.50 | 42.65 | Oklahoma City, Edmond | Direct access from US-77 south to the turnpike east opened to traffic in June 2022 | ||
28.00 | 45.06 | Eastern Avenue | |||
29.30 | 47.15 | Oklahoma City, Downtown | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | ||
29.40 | 47.31 | I-35 north (SH-66 east) – Wichita | Left exit eastbound; no westbound exit | ||
29.70 | 47.80 | I-44 / Turner Turnpike east – Tulsa | Turner Tpk. (I-44 east) continues beyond clockwise terminus | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
- Oklahoma Turnpike Authority
- Pikepass
References
- ^ a b c Official State Map (PDF) (Map) (2013–14 ed.). Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Oklahoma City inset. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- ^ a b Google (December 10, 2023). "Route of John Kilpatrick Turnpike" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
- ^ "Oklahoma Highway Patrol". Retrieved April 5, 2008.
- ^ "History".
- ^ "Driving Forward OK". Oklahoma Turnpike Authority. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
- ^ "SW Kilpatrick Extension".
- ^ "OTA opens east-bound John Kilpatrick extension this week". Fox 25. January 27, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- ^ Lackmeyer, Steve (February 24, 2022). "Oklahoma turnpikes: Cashless tolling, political push led to proposed improvements". The Oklahoman. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
- ^ Oklahoma Transportation Commission (August 2, 2021). "ODOT Commission Meeting". Retrieved August 2, 2021.
- ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (November 2023). "2023 Fall Meeting Report to the Council on Highways and Streets" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
- ^ Humphrey, Spencer (March 7, 2024). "Multiple OKC-area highways, turnpikes to be designated as interstates in coming month". KFOR.com Oklahoma City. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ^ "Toll Rates". Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.
- ^ a b c "Southwest JKT Extension" (PDF). Driving Forward OK. Oklahoma Turnpike Authority. Retrieved April 13, 2018.